Nepotism exists, it’s not good: Varun Dhawan

Mumbai– Actor Varun Dhawan, who landed in a controversy for announcing “Nepotism rocks!” at the height of the debate around it in the industry, says it exists in showbiz and it’s not good.

“Nepotism exists. It’s a part of our industry. It’s not good. More people from outside the industry should be given a chance. And why not? My father came in that way,” Varun has said in an interview for the GQ India, September 2018 issue.

The son of celebrated filmmaker David Dhawan, known for giving Bollywood some memorable ‘masala’ entertainers, Varun believes it is easy for people to make assumptions, but rarely do they know about the struggle his father went through.

“My dad was born in Agartala. When he lived in Bombay, he shared his house with four people. When I was born, my family lived in a 1BHK at Carter Road.

“My father’s first car was a taxi, a second-hand Ambassador that he painted into a normal car. His achievements are tremendous, (as are) the sacrifices he has made to put the family on the map. He’s my star, my hero, my superhero,” said the proud son.

Varun is the younger of David’s two sons. He always knew he wanted to be an entertainer, but he had to make his own way.

“I remember the time I was in the 10th standard, when the Dhirubhai Ambani school had just opened and a lot of my friends were applying for admission.

“I remember telling (dad), ‘I want to apply for this, can you make a call?’ The results came, and I didn’t get in. I asked him, ‘Did you make the call?’ He said, ‘No. You weren’t supposed to get it’.”

That day Varun learned his lesson: His family would support, not serve him.

Women are judged more often than men: Swara Bhaskar

Mumbai– Actress Swara Bhaskar, known for raising her voice on several social issues — especially those related to women’s safety and equality — says women have to face more judgment than men.

Swara Bhaskar

“Since childhood, girls face judgment. Be it about looks or behaviour, they are being judged on everything.

“While getting married, judgmental questions like, ‘How a girl looks like, what’s her skin tone, how is her nature’ are being imposed on our girls for a long time. I am not saying that men are not judged, but women have to face more judgment than them,” the 30-year-old said here.

Swara was promoting the second season of her web show “It’s Not That Simple”.

She believes that the status of women has changed in India, but said there is still a long way to go.

“From a long time, the Hindi phrase ‘Log kya kahenge (what will people say)’ has made our women weak and has suppressed their voice, but now women are breaking all the ceilings and are moving ahead.”

The “Veere Di Wedding” actress had faced flak over a masturbation scene that she did in the film. She says she believed in the role and did it.

“While performing any role, an actor should have faith in it. If you don’t have faith in a role, it would be hard to perform it on-screen,” added Swara.

Manisha Purohit to play Namish’s on-screen aunt

Prabha is the aunt of the character Samar, essayed by actor Namish Taneja.

“Prabha is a very positive and loveable character. She is the aunt of Samar and adds a refreshing comical touch to the show,” Manisha, who was a cast member of Umesh Shukla’s play “Naughty@Forty”, said in a statement.

“I was totally impressed with the show title ‘Main Maayke Chali Jaaungi Tum Dekhte Rahiyo’. I had recently posted ‘Main Maayke aa rahi hu’ on social media. My father immediately called me and asked when I will be home. That’s when I told him about my new show,” she added.

“Main Maayke Chali Jaaungi Tum Dekhte Rahiyo” will premiere on Sony Entertainment Television on September 11.

Manoj Bajpayee’s unhealthy ‘risk’ for ‘Gali Guleiyan’

Noida– Actor Manoj Bajpayee lost weight drastically to look like a sick man in the forthcoming film “Gali Guleiyan”. He says that what he did was not healthy, but it’s one of the risks that one takes for a job that he or she is obsessed with.

Manoj Bajpayee

Manoj will be seen playing a paranoid man struggling with his impounded psyche in the film, written and directed by Dipesh Jain.

Asked about his weight loss, Manoj said during a visit to the IANS headquarter here on Friday: “It was a massive diet chart. What I was doing was not healthy. Going off protein is not healthy. It can damage you forever. One takes a risk for a job that one is doing and is very obsessed with.

“I wanted to have that kind of a look of a sick man by losing weight drastically… So much so that the immune system got completely hampered. I started falling sick…sometimes viral and I am not somebody who catches fever so easily. I have been blessed that way. But in a month’s time, I fell sick many times.”

Fatima, Sanya all for carefree, fun breaks

New Delhi–“Dangal” actors Fatima Sana Sheikh and Sanya Malhotra are all for breaks in their otherwise fast-paced lives.

Fatima Sana Sheikh

Both the actresses, brand ambassadors of Kitkat, feature in its new campaign ‘Karo jo karna hai, break mein banta hai’, which reiterates the importance of breaks in people’s lives and encourages them to not have fear of judgements during breaks.

Fatima said in a statement: “Even as actors, expectations and judgements surround us and we constantly try to balance our lives between what we like and what others ask us to do. This campaign is a refreshing reminder to have fun and be ourselves at least in our breaks.”